It's been awhile

Well,
It's been awhile since I updated this. Didn't realise it had been a whole month. And I haven't read back over what I'd last said. What did I tell you about. Did I mention how well the Melbourne Writers Festival went, and how I've been putting some of what I learnt into practice?
Wait. Yeah, that was aWHILE ago now. Jeez the days are zooming past.
Well, writing wise I've sort of paused at the moment. I just finished doing an edit of my novel - and it's still good, after putting it away for 2.5 months - there's just a couple of scenes I need to add in and then it's good to go!
I wrote a picture book called "Splonk the Mischievous Martian" which I've sent out but mostly I've been going to Uni, going to work (oh, I got a new job!) and hanging out with my fantabulous house mates. It's kinda sad that it's all coming to an end soon. The end of next week brings the end of our house being full. I was going to say sixtet but I'm not quite positive that's a word. Sextet? Is that it? Slowly slowly everyone's finishing and pissing off back home, wherever they are. One housemate is finishing this year, so I won't likely be seeing him again much, or even...gulp...ever! It feels weird. A bunch of my friends are graduating and it's going to be so strange not having them around.

Me, I'll be heading back to the parentals as I don't actually have a place of my own at the moment, aside from here at Uni. But I'm wanting to go back to my old job as summer staff, which is a bit of a distance from here, but totally do-able at Mum and Dad's. Plus my dog's there. It's not all bad. I love my parents, but at 24 I don't really WANT to be living with them again, cos I will always be their child. "It's midnight - don't you think you should be going to sleep?" and of course they must know where I'm going when I leave the house. It's nice to feel cared for, but at the same time...Anyhoo.

That's about all the news I have at the moment. Exams in 2 weeks! Eep!

Sairz

The Ball - ee gads!

I'm letting myself down here, by not being more diligent in my blogging.

I don't think I've even mentioned the ball. The ball! The big University once a year shin dig at which everyone frocks up in their finery, the girls help boys buy shirts - cos really they don't know what they're doing (and then one finds themselves hearing screams of horror - 2 of my male housemates were wearing the same purple shirt! It was a very nice shirt...)
I was happily not going, and looking forward to some peace and quiet at home. The house is never empty so it was going to be a relaxing night.
Two hours before it all started, while the girls were off getting their hair and make up done, and the boys had their mates from town round already and had started on the booze, I received a phone call.
"Guess what?" he said. "You're coming to the ball!"
Say whaaaaaat? Someone had dropped out, there was a spare ticket and everyone wanted me there!
I put up a bit of a fight cos really - SO not my scene, and formal wear UGH (to prove my opinion of formal wear - I don't own any) and dancing - stupidifying and just the whole experience didn't really appeal to me. But everyone wanted me to go. And I figured, it'd be a good experience for my writing, right? Luckily the one skirt I had on campus - which was in a bag ready to be sent home - was pretty enough, so I spent the next two hours freaking out a bit and trying to make myself look presentable.
It actually wasn't a bad night. I didn't have to dance. Yay! My friends got drunk but mostly in a funny way and everyone I knew there was pleasantly surprised I came. (They love me!)
I bookended my night by falling over in the mud. Once before my shower, as I headed down the slippery hill to my car to get my shoes, and once on the way back inside from the ball. Yeah, I walk the long way around now and laugh at anyone who falls on their faces cos I have told them so.

But yeah. The ball.

The Writers Festival just finished, and I had a great time at the kids program with Andy Grffiths, Terry Denton, Leigh Hobbs and others, helping the kids and talking with them. I asked for some opinions about what characters would do in stories and they gave me some doozies. I now have a little girl character, when she is faced with herbivorous dinosaurs...she plays Barbies with them. Okay so I chose not to do that one, but it's awesome all the same.
And how else do you get a cricket ball out of a tree if you don't throw a cat up there?

The YA masterclass I volunteered at which was run by Rachel Cohn of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist fame, was fantastic. And she said to me, upon me reading out some of my work: "The teenage voice can't be faked. You either have it or you don't. And you have it!" So consider me chuffed.

The piece of work she said that of is right below. There was a second letter as well, a reply to this one. I'm seriously considering turning them into a book. Solely consisting of letters, emails, sms's, chat room conversations, e-cards, notices and that sort of thing. It's kind of complicated, but it's coming along.

The HIMBOs has slowed a little, as I started writing it and well and truly decided that I do not have the male voice happening. So I need to read up on some male authors who write the genre, like Nick Hornby, and make sure I've got what goes on in guys's heads right. The opinion on this subject of the guys I know: Nothing. Nothing goes on inside their heads.

Okay well I better skedaddle and get to work.

Sorry for the belated blog!

Here's the first letter that we wrote in the Rachel Cohn masterclass.

Dear Ness,

I lie all the time now and I hate it. You know what I’m talking about. I mean, he’s everywhere! We broke up like a month ago and it’s killing me because he’s everywhere I go.
When I went to Cami’s birthday – you remember Cami, from the gym? Well I went to her birthday and he was there! He doesn’t even know Cami. I fully couldn’t believe it. But guess what. She knows Cami. That slut bag whore has been friends with Cam for like ten years. They met at kindergarten or something.
So she brought him to the party and it was totally awkward because whenever I was talking with a guy he was completely watching me, even though she was all over him, totally feeling up his arse.
And when I took Davey to Disney on Ice – he was there with his cousin Isabelle! I mean, what?! And then I went shopping with Mel and we went into that new skate shop on Bridge – you know the one? Anyway guess who works there now. And then the scum bag had the nerve to call me a stalker. I mean seriously – who’s stalking who?
God! He’s just…I can’t get rid of him. Like everyone else, Mel asked me how I felt about it. Him. Them. I said I didn’t care. I hated him, he was a jerk and the whore bag could have him. I mean, I’m over it! He doesn’t mean jack to me anymore!
But I had to say that. It’s what she expected, right?
Ness I lie all the time now and I hate it!
I totally need to talk to you.

Carlie


Buh bye!

Sairz

Moving house and starting a new book!

Hello hello. I'm pretty psyched as I just moved into my new house today. Yay! I have fantabulous housemates who are lots of fun. I have to say I'm feeling very welcome!

Still have some heavy lifting to do tomorrow, but that's cool. I have lots of people willing to help.

I'm looking forward to my placement at a primary school for the next 2 weeks - well, 5 days over 2 weeks with some grade 1 and 2 kiddies. :) I hope it'll be lots of fun. I really enjoyed grades 5-6 so we'll see how I go with the littlies!

The Melbourne Writers Festival is coming up and I'm volunteering there, which is really exciting. Bit of a drive on the weekends, but still. It'll be great. And no sooner will that be over than I've started helping out in the hair and make up team of a local musical theatre production.

Plus I have a couple of assignments to do somewhere in there. I'm going to have an extremely busy, but fun month or so.

Ooh! And I quit my job today (2 hours per week, was earning about $25 per week so I really wasn't gonna miss it) and not 20 mins after the end of my last shift, I was hired elsewhere. Mail delivery 1 hour per day, earning $22-23 per HOUR, so my income has quadrupled. Nice. :)

I'm currently plotting out the chapters of my new book "The Himbo's" about a power pop band on tour and the price of fame and lots of juicy stuff like that, and I'm having a ball scouring YouTube for behind the scenes footage of some of my favourite bands, for inspiration of boys being boys. I'm now living with some pretty rowdy ones so I'm sure they'll be inspiration enough!

C'arn the Aussies in the Olympics! Woot!

Better get to work,

Sairz

Trojans and Viruses...

I haven't updated my blog in a little while for a couple of reasons. Haven't really had much to say, being one of them. Actually no, that's not true.
Another is that my anti-virus software, I discovered is actually quite shit. Judging by all the pop ups, the lagging - writing emails (or blogs!) was a nightmare because of how the computer couldn't keep up with what I was writing, therefor missed letters, words, whole sentences. Uber frustrating.

Anyhoo, my new antivirus seems to be working (no pop ups so far, and typing at normal speed and it's legible!) but I was aghast to discover it found not 1 or 2, but TWENTTY TWO Trojans and Viruses in my hard drive. Can anyone see Eep? So yeah - old anti virus? REALLY SHIT.

Uni has started back, and I just can't make myself get back into the studying thing. I've managed to cut back a subject, to do more writing and stuff (among other reasons) and I haven't been writing, but ruminating, and it hasn't helped me do all the readings and not be a lazy sod.

With the next book I'm wanting to write, I reckon I've figured out just why I haven't started writing it yet, why I've been putting it off. Yes I've done character profiles, and worked out lots of plot stuff...but I reckon I'm just not that excited about it. I'm not fired up to write it, (plus it's a more serious idea and vulnerable and scary) so who would want to read it, if the writer doesn't even want to?

But just last night I got a NEW idea, which will be heaps more fun to write and I'm firing on all cylindars with it so fingers crossed I get my a into gear and DO IT!.

I haven't actually been a lazy bum of late. I've been run off my feet with OTHER commitments. Like I had to run a meeting with a guest speaker that I organised - there were initially 2 out of 16 of us there, which increased to 4. I was mortified for the speaker but it went really well - and then I hosted a Trivia night and learnt to drive a mini bus, I worked at the Uni's Open Day this weekend and was bored stiff, and tonight I head to melbourne for orientation for the volunteers of this years Writers Festival. I've never volunteered at it before, so I hope it will be good. I'm hoping to meet some agents and publishers.
Sessions are selling out fast, and there are some workshops I want to go to, but their like $100-200! Alas, I REALLY can't afford that.

I've buggered up one knee recently and am getting pain in the other, and when I get the opportunity, I've gotta get an X-Ray done.

Oh! And I'm moving house this weekend/next week, depending on when I get the keys. Yay! I'm excited to be moving in with my new house mates. It'll be lots of fun.

Even though I'm not enrolled, I've been going to Philosophy lectures because I'm interested in the subject matter. Heaps easier than enrolling and doing all the assignments and reading!

So yeah, not really a lazy bum after all.

I still feel like one though, because I'm yet to go to Rock n Roll class, self defence or start helping with Scouting - oh and I'm going to join Toastmasters because public speaking is a skill I am in dire need of. I'm doing all this other stuff and not the ones I really wanna. Hmm. Need to work on that.

That's all for now. Must do SOME reading before class today.

Sairz

I finished writing my book today!

Okay, not 10 minutes ago, I wrote The End below 3,772 lines of text, or over 43,000 words.

It's not a long novel, but it's a complete long work which is actually a bit longer than the series of books I wrote it for are supposed to be but that's okay because soon comes editing!
Today comes celebration and relaxation and 'Oh my God I did it'-ation.
And a bit of mourning. I'm gonna miss those characters and thinking about what they're doing and thinking every day.

But NOW I'm thinking about my next lot of characters, and what THEY will be getting up to. Their personalities are coming through, and some stuff that has happened to them, but I don't have names yet. But that's what my baby name books are for. Writers get more use out of them than pregnant ladies. We need hundreds of names. New parents only need a couple and it gets dusty on the shelf.

Anyhoo, that's all I'm about today. Finished my book! With 3 days to spare! Ya-hay!

And I got my results for first semester this morning, and got 2 credits, a distinction and a high distinction which I'm completely stoked about. I didn't even think I was going to PASS Sociology, but I got 66% for the subject! Woo frickin hoooooo!

Oh and I went to the movies last night and saw Mamma Mia and it is awesome. Very funny and just plain fun! Enjoy.

Looking forward to Hancock which I'll see soon.

Ta ta! Gone to smile a lot and wonder what the hell to do now.

Sairz

The fire

Okay, we're not a fire family.

My theory is that every family has their thing, you know, the bad thing that happens to them a lot. Some families have cancer, some get burgled, some have fires.

My family, we're car people. Cars hate us, they break down at really inconveniant times (my last car was quite vindictive, because the day before I got a new car, the battery completely died as I was driving in the country between acres of paddocks. In the rain. At night. Alone.) we have car accidents - not always our fault, and acts of God - God killed one of our cars, by dropping a whole tree on it.

So we're car people.

We are NOT fire people.

So when, hanging at my sister's place in Melbourne having a social butterflyable 5 days away (and not getting much writing done, but we'll get to that) my sister received a phone call.

There had been a fire at my parents house. The kitchen was completely gutted, and there's smoke damage and melted items all throughout the rest of the house.

It was ironic, because this was 2 days after one of the builders came in for something completely unrelated and commented that it was 5 years to the day that the kitchen renovation was completed. Reckon the warranty ran out just then? :)

My parents and the animals were all safe, and the insurance company have been absolute troopers, they set up my parents and the animals in an empty holiday house two houses down, and EVERYTHING in the house is being hauled out, all the clothes from wardrobes are being cleaned, and then the house will be fixed, walls scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed and the kitchen will be rebuilt...it's been made so easy for my parents, which has been amazing.

And the chick who saw the fire!

At the same time as calling 000, she grabbed the hose out the front, ran up the ramp and was hosing through the window. Then the glass blew out. Can you believe that? She was fine - didn't get hit by it, which is a miracle, but we're all so amazed that she did that. My sister and I think we would have called 000 and stood back going "Oh my God, oh my God oh my God...", praying that the fire brigade arrived soon.

And boy did they arrive. 4 fire engines blocked the road, emergency services, police...

Seeing the fire damage has been a really interesting experience for me, as a writer. I'd never thought about how the whole house would be coated in black soot. That the paint on the ceiling would melt and dribble down the walls. And the outside of kitchen cabinets and drawers were destroyed, but the contents of the drawers was all fine!
Really interesting. I reckon I could write a convincing fire scene, now. :)

Plus - I've been summoned to Jury Duty! I'm so psyched. As a writer, this will be awesome. Probably really boring in actuality, and a huge responsibility, but it'll be interesting all the same. Stay tuned!

Writing wise, I've got maybe 2,000 words to go. Very much on the home stretch and trying to not think too hard about which project to work on next, until I'm done.

Uni starts back next week, which I'm looking forward to, seeing everyone again.

That's it from me for now. I'm knackered.

Sairz

Nearing the end...and stalling at the finish line

Hmm.
This is really weird.
I've nearly finished my book. I'm so close I can smell it. I'm a mere 2,000 words to the deadline (I'm gonna go over by a couple, up to 5,000 words) and my writing ability is petering out.

It's not like I don't know what's going to happen. I do. But something's happening that I'm having a hell of a time getting down into the computer, and out of my head.

Doesn't help that the wind is gusty and the nights are frickin freezing, so I can't/won't go for my mental health/inspiration strike me now, walks.

I still have two full weeks until my self-imposed deadline is up, but it's not like I want to wait until then to get it done if I can do it now.
And I haven't even been doing important stuff, when not writing. I've been watching loads of TV, reading books, surfing the net...by God I sound like an honest to goodness writer, don't I?

I've come to the conclusion, that I'm prolonging the end, because I don't quite want to let go yet. I like Kaley, and Maiyuki's heaps of fun, and Travis is an all around nice guy and Coby is your lovable but very very stoopid teenage boy. And I really can't see there being any more to write about these characters after I've typed 'The End' on the last page.

It's not like I don't have other ideas and characters to fall in love with...but I'm not ready to make new friends when I like the ones I have. However flawed the writing about them may be. :)

It's a weird sensation. One I'm sure I'll get used to over time, but this is my first novel that I'm absatively going to finish, dammit. So yeah. Weird experience. My word count has petered down to 500w the other day, none yesterday and about 800w today.

I frustrate myself.

Okay. Venting over.

I'm going to Melbourne tomorrow until Sunday and I have this whole big social life planned. It's exciting. Drinky-poohs and then tipsy bowling tomorrow with the girls, movie with a girlfriend on Thursday, movie and dinner with a social group (meeting new exciting people - scary, but awesome!) on Friday, going to the Zoo with a friend on Saturday and then seeing Wicked on Saturday! Then brunch on Sunday and homeward bound, to fall in a heap.

And I will write, and try and squish in another couple of friends in there as well. I don't get to Melbourne much, so I wanna fit everyone in!

It'll be fun.

Keep well,

Sairz